The London Underground logo is instantly recognizable, even by those who have never visited the city. Simple and effective, ubiquitous and reassuring, it not only expresses the all-embracing nature of the capital’s transport network, it also serves as a powerful brand for London itself. Found the length and breadth of the metropolis, it is now one of the best known and most fondly regarded corporate symbols in the world, and has spawned a host of similar designs from Salt Lake City to Shanghai.

The Roundel presents the company’s famous sign rethought and refashioned by one hundred international artists. At once imaginative and playful, bold and irreverent, these new interpretations reinvent the logo in photography and paint, drawing and print, collage and sculpture. Artists as diverse as Jeremy Deller, Sir Peter Blake, Roger Hiorns, Cornelia Parker, Yinka Shonibare, Gavin Turk, Susan Hiller and Richard Wentworth offer a personal and affectionate take on the familiar motif, revealing in their own words what inspired their creations.

A fascinating text by design writer Jonathan Glancey looks at the genesis of the Roundel a century ago and considers the reasons for its enduring success. Claire Dobbin of the London Transport Museum discusses many of the artistic uses of the symbol in earlier decades, while Sally Shaw, member of the original commissioning team at Art on the Underground, highlights some of the new works and reveals how they came about. Amusing and absorbing, The Roundel is a true gem of a book. It will delight all lovers of London and transport fanatics, as well as those who follow the latest trends in art, graphic design and corporate branding.